GROUP 11 president Ross McDermott is quietly confident about Dubbo's chances of hosting an NRL match in 2015 as his committee waits to hear back from the Manly Sea Eagles.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Group 11 committee, working together with Dubbo City Council, submitted a proposal to the Sea Eagles late last year and with discussions beginning again recently McDermott is hopeful of good news in the coming days.
"We spoke last week, their new CEO is back but has had a few other issues to work with but there's four venues vying for games and we've got a meeting in the next few days so hopefully we'll know by the end of this week or next," he said.
The focus of the proposal is the April 4, round five match between the Sea Eagles and the Canberra Raiders, with the venue on the official NRL draw still 'to be confirmed'.
McDermott was aware Perth and Gosford were two of the other three venues which wanted the match but was till keen to see the match played at Caltex Park.
While that match would be ideal, held on the Easter weekend and one week before the Group 11 season kicks off, McDermott said all options will be looked at, with contact also made with the Raiders and Newcastle Knights in recent times.
"It might not definitely be the Easter game but we're right in the mix and I'm feeling quite positive," he said.
"Manly have also made contact with Sport and Recreation and the State Government because it's going to be their game, it would just be staged at Dubbo so while they're looking at all the options they've had no dramas with our proposal.
"We're focusing on the Manly game but if it doesn't come through we won't stop, the NRL want games out here to the country so it's just about matching the club's needs to what we can provide.
"I'm quietly confident but we've put the proposal forward so now it's all up to what the NRL wants to do."
McDermott was full of praise for Dubbo City Council after all their work in helping get a quality proposal put forward while there has also been support from the Dubbo RSL club as well as a number of businesses in the region which have provided some private backing to help with all the costs involved with bringing and NRL match to Caltex Park.
"It's important to point out that Dubbo City Council and the RSL Club have been right behind us, Council have set up the venue and got it to the number venue here and the RSL would provide the gym and other things available here and Manly have been impressed by that, we really couldn't have done it without them. They've been impressed with the proposal that the Group and Council put together, we're doing everything possible," he said, before speaking about the private backers.
"It's certainly not just from Dubbo either, there's been companies in Cobar and Parkes who have been willing to back this. The match would be played in Dubbo but all Group 11 clubs would benefit so it's great to see people wanting to get behind this game."
In other Group 11 news, McDermott said the committee was waiting to see how this weekend's NRL Auckland Nines panned out before pushing forward with a pre-season Nines tournament of their own.
McDermott said a Nines tournament in mid-March was a strong possibility and would be a perfect opportunity for club's to test their pre-season fitness.
Another big push from Group 11 this season will be for the formation of a women's league tag competition.
League tag is hugely popular in Group 10, Group 9 and the Woodbridge Cup and McDermott was hopeful at next month's Group 11 meeting the proposal of every Group 11 club having to field four teams, a first grade, reserves, under-18s and women's, would be passed.